Process for stopping or sealing off underground flows of water into mine-workings, &amp;c.



E. B..KIRBY. LING OFF UNDERGROUND FLOWS OF WATB MINE WORKINGS, 6w. APPLIOATION FILED MAY 21, 1908.

B INTO PROCESS FOR STOPPING 03 SEA "Patented Oct. 6, 1908.-

In 7/ 6 71 to 7".

'To all whom it mayfconcer'n:

EDMUND B. KIRBY, or FLAT RIVER, MISSOURI.

rnocns's FOR srorrme on same on UNDERGROUN 'umn-wonmn'os, a

Be it known that I, EDMUND KIRBY, a citizen of the United States, residingat Flat River, in the county of St..Francois and Flows of State of Missouri have invented a certain new and usefulfor Stoppiyng or S'ealing Off Underground Excavations, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact descriptiom-f -It is wellknown that the earths crust is I 'irregularly permeated with water; and that whenpits or subterranean excavations, for ex ample mines,'are made init this'watenwhen present injtlie neighborhood, tends to flow under. its pressure into these excavations through the fractures and crevices which are generally found Lthroughout-said crust. In order 'to carry mining operations, it is therefore necessary to pump out all such inflowing water. Since it is'the misfortune of most mines to encounter water bearing ground, and since the uantity'of water is requently' from severa .hundred to several thousand gallons per minute with lifts of from several hundred 'to one or two thousand feet, the expense of mine drainage is generally an important item, and often the most serious one in the business. g I

In the art of mining, attempts have fre-.

, guently been made to stop, or seal off, or reerected to seal off water bearing zones; and

other routes. 7 v a My'invention consists primarily of the introduction into subterranean'flows of water entering a mine, and-at anyconvenient pointuce incoming flows of Water. Wed es have been used, together with dams, wal s, bulkheads and a variety of constructions 1n timber, stone, brick, concrete, cement, etc. Massive tubes or linings of metal have been there 1s a well known process of shutting off water by freezing the round. The known methods, so far as deve oped, have not found" any wide application in mining. They are generally excessive in cost, or theyrequire the expert experience of a specialist, or the are uncertain in result. crevices'are so numerous and intricate, and mine water is usually under such high pressure, that it will generall find its way around any stop or barrierv an enter the mine by or points, of any kind "of sub divide d solid matter which is capable-of being carried by; those flows toward their exits and: of being improvement in Processes ater into Mine-Workings or other Moreover roc' 1 Specification of Letters Patent. Applicationflled Kay 21, 1908. f Serial No. 484,182.

sawor fiber; or in fact, as above stated, any ma- Patented Oct. 6, 1908.-

leading to said exits.-

Inmost cases I prefer to use for the purpose sta-ted finely sub-divided clay, which will be held in suspension in the flowing wadeposited in and choking up the passages .ter; and in'the best practice said material is preliminarily mixed with water, and the water carrymg 1t 1n suspenslon 1S lnlected by suitable pressure producing means into the moving'u-nder ground curr'entsthrough ipes n snows or WATER INTO placedin holes, drilled for the purpose, eadmg to the assages throughjwhich said ourrentsare owing toward the exits into the mine. Other materials may be used, as, for exansipla'sand, mill tailings orslimes, cement,

ust, horse manure, chopped hay, straw terial capable of being introduced into the flowing currents and" of being carried along thereby, into passages which willbe choked and sealed when said material accumulates therein. l v

The injection ofthe water bearing this material. in suspension, may be made by any suitable means, as, for example, force pumps 'or standpipes extending far enough toward the surface to furnish the necessary pressure.

The suspended particles when lntroduc'ed into a cavity containing water which is in .motion by one or many currents toward exits into the mine, are seized and carried toward these exits, settling and accumulating in and choking, at various 'oints, the passages leading to said exits. The moving currents automatically select those particular passages which require sealing-.that is to say, those passages which are dlscharging into the mine, ecause'it is through them that the water currents flow. It disregards innumerable other passages which do not discharge into the mine 'becaus'ethe water is not in motion flowing through said passages. The choking which occurs 1n the passages through which the out-goin currents "flowoccurs at the most'favorab e points. These will generally be where the ftpassages are smallest, and the flow most di used. In-fact large passages cannot be 0h0k8d',i11 the manner stated.

The choking of these passages by the deposition therein of the sus ended solid material will,"-ofcourse, ,be gra ual; When the passages arejcom letely' choked, the. process ceases, ,althou other passages and cavities zwhich donot cadto and discharge into'the mine may 'be and generally are still unfilled in so far as their erection is apart 0 eat invention, to so reduce thesizeo the solid material will accumulate in them and and open. If, by the choking of one or more passages, the current is deflected to anothercourse, the work is automatically resumed in the new passage. At an choked locality. the pressure of the water holds the choking particles firmly in place. This automatic selective action of the outoing currents bearing suspended solid particles may produce a complete and perfect seal, shutting off all out-going threads of water, and it does this by filling not the main passages only, but those favorable automatically-selected localities where the deposition of the material can be effective. The material in suspension is often carried for considerable distances to reach the points where the choking is efiective. I have in practice sealed'water flows issuing at various points alo a distance of 240 feet from the point of in ection. The choking in-these cases occurred close to the points of exit, and the channels leading thereto remain unfilled.

Where the water passages leading to the mine are so large that they cannot be eflectually choked and sealed in the manner specified, various forms of artificial barriers, such, for, example, as those before mentioned, which are in common use in this art, may be employed for sealing 0H or reducing water flows through such large passages; and, when so used in connection with the injection of.

the material, as stated, will serve an importantfunction and be a art of the invention herem describedand c aimed. These artificial constructions are to be so disposed that .they will choke up the large passages, either closing them altogether, or so reducing them in area that the injected material will accumulate therein and ultimately close them up. In case an artificial construction does com letely close a large passage through whic water is flowing into a mine, as for example when a barrier is erected across the connection between a wet working and the mine proper the usual result is that the water restramedfrom flowin through this large passage'will seek and d smaller assages and crevices through which it will ow. In fact, the water pressure is so rest that it will not infrequently make suc small passages. In any event, when the material stated is introduced into'the moving flows behind said barriers, said material will accumulate in these small assa es and seal them. It is obvious there ore t at the artificial barriers need not be water tight. Generally speaking, their function is primarily,

the. reswater passages leading-to the exits that the seal them. Sometimes theseartificial constructions are primarily erected for the pair-- pose of supporting weak ground, but even eoo,ees

then they may, and generally will, restrict the size of the water exits.

It isapparent that if the water flows are sealed off 1n the manner described, the pressure of the imprisoned water is more apt to break the round than when the water is allowed to ow freely. It may, therefore, be necessary to use in connection with the described process, more frequently and extensively than under'ordinary conditions, any of rial into the flowing streams of 'water leading to the exits of the mine.

In this drawing -A re resents the mine shaft, and A" and A latera underground passages leading therefrom, one of these passages or drifts leading to an abandoned wet working and one to an active working.

B, B, B represent lar e cavities through which the water flows. ans 0]"; these cavities B is a natural cavity which dischar es through a large 0 'enin'g mto the mine. Its discharge exit is s own as more or less completeg closed by wooden wedges C and the pipe through which the material is injected 1nto the cav ty asses through or between these wedges. is before stated, it is not necessary that these wedges should make a water-tight 'oint between the cavity B and the mine. mall leaks therein will be closed by the injected material.

I). -re resents numerous small water passages through which water may flow into the mine working. The injected material being delivered into the water assages at a greater or less distance behind t e small passages to be choked will be carried along by the water flows into said small passages, m which it will be de baited as stated, and ultimately will com etely close them. A masonry bulkhea D may be built across the draft A, but,

- as before stated, it need not be a water tight bulkhead or dam because, if it leaked, the solid material introduced behind it will accumulate in the small passages and ultimately seal them up.

In cases where the water enters the mine only through. small exits the artificial barriers will be unnecessary. Such a condition, for example, is disclosed on the left side of the drawing. In this case a pipe F is mintersect various water passages, and this pipemayhavenumerousperforatlonethrough serted into a hole drilled so as to cross and v ceases which the material forced'through the pipe' may After it is so discharged-it willbe carried along by the flo current and automatically enter those sma lpassa es through which the water is flowinginto t emine and very little of it will enter oraccumulatecin any other passages because the water isnot fiowingthrough them. a 7

his inventlon is based upon the discovery that various forms of solid material if introduced into the water currents willautomatically enter the small passages leading to the exits into the mine, and will accumulate there, and ultimately'practically seal them. When all of the water enters'the mine through such small passages, the mere introduction of the solid material into thesflowing currents at some point or points "with'which all of the exits communicate will be sufficient. If

water enters the mine through passages too" large to be so sealed, artificial barriers must be placed in. such large assages "These barriers will as far as possib eclosethese passages; but if they leak or if because of the, barriers the water makes or finds other small passage-ways into the mine, then the solid material introduced-into the large cavit behind the barrier, will soon choke and sea said small passages. k f

Having described my invention, I claim: 1. The described process of sealing off flows of water issuingilfrom the'earths crust into excavations madeitherein, whi'ch'consists in the introduction into said flows, at any convenient points prior to their points of exit, of any kind of solid matter, which is capable of bein carried by said moving' flows toward sai exits and of accumulating and chokin up the passages leading thereto. 2. The escribed process of sealing off flows of water issuing from the earths crust into, excavations made therein, which consists in the injection into said flows, at any convenient points prior to their points of exit, of water carryin in suspension any kind of solid matter wh1ch is capable of bein carried by said moving ,flows towards the said discharge into the "water passages. th

ried b sists erectinghrartificial' barriers in [larger assages t shutting off s capable of bein exits and of accumulating and choking up e passagesleadin thereto. 3. The describe 'process' flows'of water from the earths crust into excavations therein, which consists in inserting pi es into holes leading to passages throu h w ich said water is' flowing toward the exits into said 'excavatic'ns, and in the forcing through said pipes into said flowing water, of water carrying in suspension solid matter which is capable said flowing water toward said exits and o accumulating in and choking the passages leading thereto,

4'. The herein described process of sealing ofi flows of water issuin --from the earths crust into excavations t erein, which colrliough whichthe water so flows or the pur aid sages leading to the exits of so much smaller size that they are capable of being choked in the manner stated, and of then introducing into the water assages' behind said barriers any kind of solid material capable of being carried by said moving flows 0 water toward the exits and of accumulating in and choking up the passages leadin thereto.

5. Th ofl flows of water issuing from the earths crust into excavations therein which consists of sealing ofi' I ose of wholly or partly o'ws or making the pas- 6. herein descri ed processiofsealing in introducing into said flows at any convenient points prior to their points of exit into the mine of any kind of sohdmatter which is v carried. by said moving flows toward sai exit and of accumulating and choking up the Eassa es leading thereto,- and in erecting art' cial arriers in the passages which are too large to be so. closed, and

introducing into the water behind said barriers said solid material. I

In testimony whereof l hereunto afiix my signature in t e presence of two witnesses.

EDMUND B. KIRBY. Witnesses:

O. J. Amnvn, Fnhrvx. LALLY. L 

